Infringe definition

ĭn-frĭnj

Words form:

Frequency:

To encroach on someone or something; engage in trespassing.

An increased workload that infringed on his personal life.

verb

To transgress or exceed the limits of; violate.

Infringe a contract; infringe a patent.

verb

(obsolete) To defeat; invalidate.

verb

To break (a law or agreement); fail to observe the terms of; violate.

verb

To infringe is defined as to violate a law or agreement, or to exceed limits.

An example of to infringe is breaking a hospital's rule of no smoking on hospital grounds.

An example of to infringe is to build a fence that extends onto your neighbor's property.

verb

Break or violate a treaty, a law, a right etc.

verb

(intransitive) Break in or encroach on something.

verb

infringe on

to break in on; encroach or trespass on

To infringe on their right to privacy.

idiom

Alternative Forms

Alternative Form of infringe - enfringe

infringe on

Latin īnfringere to destroy in- intensive pref. in–² frangere to break bhreg- in Indo-European roots

From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
From Latin infringere (“to break off, break, bruise, weaken, destroy”), from in (“in”) + frangere (“to break”).

From Wiktionary